


Double Back

by fezwearingjellybananas



Series: The Flash & Hawkgirl [9]
Category: The Flash (TV 2014)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Role Reversal, Gen, Iris West is The Flash
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-24
Updated: 2021-01-24
Packaged: 2021-03-16 18:34:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,773
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28961049
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fezwearingjellybananas/pseuds/fezwearingjellybananas
Summary: The only way to stop Zoom is to be faster than Zoom and Jesse is wonderful, but there's only one person Iris knows who knows how to do that without damaging her Speed. Which means she needs to do some time travelling
Series: The Flash & Hawkgirl [9]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1859986
Kudos: 3





	Double Back

Jesse’s Speed Formula worked. It just didn’t work how Zoom had intended, it had no effect on how fast a speedster could go, it let Jesse connect with the Speed Force. And Velocity- also made by Jesse- did temporarily make a speedster faster but it also permanently damaged their connection to the Speed Force. That was intentional. Zoom relied more on Velocity than that connection now, if they could stop him accessing Velocity, he would lose his powers, but he’d also forced Jesse to show him how to make it. He’d kept her in that tiny make-shift lab for months demanding she find ways to make him faster and over and over she’d found short-term solutions that would damage his connection more in the long run.

But Iris had to get faster to stop him and short-term solutions wouldn’t help. Zoom was terrorising Earth-2, they didn’t have a Flash to protect them, and once he’d finished there he would move onto their Earth. She needed to get faster and she needed to do it quickly.

“I’ll think of something,” Jesse said. “I can think of something.”

“You’ve done enough,” Iris said.

“I didn’t mean to-”

“Oh, no, Jesse, I didn’t mean it like that, you don’t need to keep pushing yourself, you have done so much already.”

“It’s my fault he wants you.”

“You didn’t know I existed.”

“I knew our Earth had a Flash. He didn’t take his mask off until I told him another speedster’s speed might fix the damage.”

“And he was threatening your father,” Iris said. “He sent Harry here because he knew his plan would never work if he sent you, even though it was your work he needed. You defied him at every opportunity you had while still trying to protect your father, I think you’re one of the bravest people I’ve ever met. This is not your fault.”

“If I’d just given him what he wanted...”

“Then who knows what state your world would be in right now.”

“Cisco said this man is your worst enemy.”

“But he’s done this to himself. He knows the answers, and after everything he did, the least he can give me is answers.”

* * *

Visions flashed past her as Iris ran back. That had happened before, when Thawne had told her how to go back and save her mother, a day she hadn’t changed, and it had happened when they ran to Earth-2. She could see her father sitting next to her unconscious body, Zoom breaking her back, Ronnie and Martin separating in the Singularity, the lightning coming down and hitting her. So much she didn’t understand, but there was Kendra, with Martin, Jax, Ray Palmer, Leonard Snart, Mick Rory, a woman Iris didn’t know, and Carter. Iris just hoped picking a weekday would mean Kendra would be in school and Iris wouldn’t have to see her.

And she saw Wally and Barry getting into Linda’s car. She saw Hartley and Caitlin together in an old warehouse, Caitlin’s hair white and Hartley’s gauntlets on the table. If Caitlin had said something sooner, they could have stopped Thawne sooner and maybe Eddie would still be alive. If Barry had been willing to believe Hartley after everything then he’d be willing to listen before, and he’d still have two legs. If she hadn’t kept this secret from Wally then he wouldn’t have gone looking for Mason alone and maybe he-

A black shroud flew at her and Iris skittered out the way, tumbling out the wormhole. She looked around. She was in Central, but this wasn’t S.T.A.R. Labs. This was Abbotts Jewellers. Iris knew exactly what day this was.

This was not good.

* * *

Cisco was in the Cortex, exactly where Iris knew he would be. The bags under his eyes were so dark they looked bruised, he hadn’t brushed his hair, and Iris knew he’d spent the night at his desk.

Eobard Thawne looked as composed as ever, sitting there in his wheelchair, lying to their faces.

“Perhaps you should go home, Cisco,” he said gently.

“I have to keep looking,” Cisco said. “I have to.”

“You can’t do anything if you’re this tired,” Iris said. Cisco and Thawne both looked at her.

“First Caitlin and Hartley, now this,” Cisco said. “Hasn’t he been through enough?”

“He’s with Wally. They’ll take care of each other.”

“You hope.”

“I really think it’s for the best you go home and get some rest,” Thawne said. “Iris is right, you’re not going to be able to focus on anything if you’re exhausted. We need you at your best. Maybe at least going home to freshen up would help you feel better?”

If she could get Cisco out of S.T.A.R. Labs, there would be no one to interrupt her and Thawne. It would put a little extra space between Cisco and what was about to happen.

“Let me run you home,” Iris said. “A few hours will be good for you. You can use the sofa bed if you don’t want to use yours, I know Wal- Well, I can rearrange the furniture and it’ll be fine for a few hours. Doctor Wells and I can keep looking for Wally and Barry. We will find them, Cisco.”

“Fine,” Cisco said. “Two hours, then you can come pick me up.”

“Six,” Iris said.

“Three.”

“Five.”

“Two.”

“Seven.”

“Fine, four, happy?”

“You need more but it’ll do for now,” Iris said. Four hours was perfect, in about four hours she’d be calling him anyway, or her past self would be. “I won’t be long, Doctor Wells.”

“Take your time, you need rest too,” Thawne said. Iris scooped Cisco up and ran him home. Thank goodness her past self was out with her dad right now.

Iris pushed the furniture to the side of the room and made the small sofa bed up in seconds. It was far from the best, Barry and her had picked it up second hand a few years ago so if they had company (usually Wally) there was a bed for him, just in case, but it was far better than Cisco sleeping at his desk.

“I’m scared,” Cisco said.

“Me too,” Iris said. “But we will find them and they will both be fine, I promise.”

Iris knew where they were. She could run right now and-

A tingle ran up her spine.

“I’ll see you soon,” she said.

Iris shot back out their old apartment. She could see the shroud following her again now, a corpse’s hands reaching out for her. She knew what that was now. She’d seen them before.

Time Wraith. She couldn’t let it catch her.

Iris streaked through the city, dipping and darting down back alleys and through walls until the Time Wraith was out of sight.

She was standing outside S.T.A.R. Labs again. There was a cab parked outside.

Iris walked back inside. Thawne was in the Cortex, with Kendra.

“Oh,” Iris said. “Hi.”

“Hi,” Kendra said.

“Shouldn’t you be at school right now?”

“I called in,” she said. “Help with the search and all.”

“Right,” Iris said. She didn’t remember that happening before. “So, where are we starting?”

“Oh, flower,” Kendra said. “You look as tired as Cisco.”

Kendra was stepping closer. Except Kendra had only called her flower once to try it out, it hadn’t stuck.

Iris stepped back.

“My brother and my best friend are missing,” she said. “Right now, all I want to do is find them. Unlike Cisco, I did actually sleep last night, I know I’m tired, but I have to find them.”

“Just rest, flower,” Kendra said. She was stepping closer again.

Iris caught sight of something out the corner of her eye and she spun just in time to catch the fire extinguisher Thawne was aiming at her head.

“Doctor Wells?” she asked. “Doctor Wells, what-”

Something stabbed into her and Iris felt hands catch her as she fell backwards.

* * *

She woke up in the Time Vault, sat in a chair. Her hands were behind her, locked together. Thawne was next to her, in his wheelchair with his legs crossed.

“Gideon, next screen,” he said. The projected video shifted to show Cisco asleep in their front room. “Next screen.”

It was Kendra now, standing in front of a class of children.

“You’re awake,” Thawne said. “Power down, Gideon. No interruptions for the next half an hour.”

The screen shut down and Thawne stood up.

“Who are you?” he asked.

“Iris West,” she said. “Doctor Wells, what’s going on? What is this place?”

“I have studied the Flash for years. I have watched every moment of her life since she was eleven. I know her better then she knows herself.”

He stepped forward with his hand raised. Iris tried vibrating around her own hands to phase, but she just felt sluggish.

“I’m sure you know it’s possible to dampen a metahuman’s powers,” he said. “The Flash has always been tricky to keep trapped though. There have been records, especially in her later years, of her overcoming power dampeners seemingly out of sheer willpower. I’ve tested a few theories, I believe it’s because the Speed Force is an external source of power, but it isn’t a consistent ability, and I would like a few more results before I come to any solid conclusions.”

He stepped closer again, pressing his fingers against her chest, over her heart.

“Those handcuffs weren’t designed to block the Flash’s powers, at least not all of them,” he said. “You can heal as well as any other speedster, but they block enough you can’t phase, and any kinetic or electrical energy you produce is just directed back into you, so I wouldn’t try and fight them. You’ll find it quite painful. Now, last chance, who are you?”

His hand started vibrating.

“I told you. I’m Iris West.”

“And I told you I know you aren’t.”

“You’d think you’d recognise a fellow time traveller, Eobard,” Iris said. “I guess you don’t know me as well as you think. Guess you changed all those history books when you changed time.”

“You’re from the future,” he said. “And you came all this way just for me to kill you, how sweet of you.”

He dug his hand deeper into her sternum and the vibrations echoed around her body.

“Any last words, Flash?”

“That’s it?” Iris asked. “You’re not even going to take your time, enjoy yourself a little? Seems like such a shame, since it’s the last thing you’re going to be able to do before the Time Wraiths get you.”

“I was careful to avoid them.”

“You’ll have to tell me how, because I wasn’t,” she said.

“You’re bluffing,” he said.

“At least I assume that’s what the black shroud chasing me was,” she said. “You told Barry they were all that’s left of speedsters who angered the Speed Force and messed with time. By all means, Thawne, kill me, but what do you think they will do when they find their quarry dead, killed by a speedster who won’t be born for a century and who has spent the past fifteen years manipulating the timeline?”

Thawne withdrew his hand and stepped back. Iris’ chest ached so much.

“Trust me, I would not be here if I had another option,” she said. “I need to get faster.”

“And you can’t ask me in your own time?”

“It’s not like you told me which year you were running to. I don’t know anything about your time, which would you pick, running to an unfamiliar time and searching the entire planet for someone who might or might not be there, or running to a time you know and when you know exactly where he’ll be?”

“My plan works.”

“You are no longer in my time, but you’re the only one who can help me.”

“Why should I?”

“Don’t you see what you’ve done?” Iris asked. “I relied on you. I cared about you, I loved you. I put myself in danger to save you, and even after you betrayed me, I’m still here begging for your help because I need you, Eobard. Isn’t that what you always wanted? I need you.”

Thawne lifted her chin with his hand. His touch was gentle now, tender, and just as invasive as his hand vibrating in her chest.

“Say it again, won’t you, Flash?”

“I need you, Eobard.”

“You have no idea how much that one sentence would have meant to me twenty years ago.” He let go and stepped back. “Twenty years ago. How painful was that for you to say?”

“Unbelievably,” Iris said. “I hate you.”

“The feeling’s mutual. Why today?”

“Believe it or not, it was not intentional. I meant to go back to right before Hartley showed up again and the Time Wraith clearly wasn’t happy about that and knocked me out today instead.”

“You wanted to save Wally and Barry.”

“I came back because I need to know how to get faster and, unfortunately, you’re the only one I know has done that successfully. But yes, I hoped there was a way to save them.”

“You came back with the explicit intention to change time, no wonder you attracted a Time Wraith.”

“And somehow you didn’t when you murdered my mother?”

“Oh, I did, I very much did, it’s why I’ve had to avoid using what little speed I have left as much as possible over the past fifteen years, but they were distracted with the version of you that followed me. You’re rather close to finding out the truth. This time’s you.”

“Yes,” Iris said. “Yes, I know.”

“You changed time earlier, didn’t you? I was planning on sending Cisco back in my car. Driven by Hannibal Bates. You’re looking for him right now.”

“I know, I remember.”

“But you can’t change what happens, you know that. That’s what is drawing the Time Wraith to you.”

“I know. But I have to know how you did it.”

“You’re still alive, so my plan didn’t work. So tell me, Iris, why would I help you find a way to stop me?”

“Oh please.” Iris laughed. “You think you’re the reason for this? You went back to the future, you promised to come back and kill me later and it has been six months and I have seen neither hide nor hair of you. I need to get faster to stop Zoom, he’s a monster, he’s terrifying, and he’s so much faster than me.”

“Zoom. You came back to ask me for help to stop Zoom.”

“Yeah. Ask an old enemy for help to fight your nemesis, Oliver’s done it, Kendra’s doing it, thought I’d try it out.”

“I am your nemesis.”

“He’s way worse than you though.”

“You just said you trusted me, and I betrayed you.”

“You don’t have a monopoly on betrayals, Caitlin only betrayed me a few weeks ago from your standpoint. Zoom lied, called himself Jay Garrick, manipulated me into trusting him then betrayed me. You only want to kill me.”

“And I could do that right now.”

“Zoom’s worse though. He broke my back, dragged me around the city to show me off and terrify everyone, he doesn’t want to kill me, he wants me as a battery and a trophy, that’s way worse, and he would have succeeded if Cisco hadn’t been there, I couldn’t stop him.”

“I murdered your mother. Zoom didn’t.”

“No, that’s true. He’s promised to kill everyone I’ve ever loved in front of me though.”

“I created you. I manipulated your whole life. I gave you your powers.”

“I know, I don’t know what this relationship was like in the other timeline, but you helped me so much in this one, your good far outweighs the harm.”

“Take that back.”

“It is true. You spent a year helping me before you put your plan into action.”

“I’m your Reverse. You wouldn’t exist without me. We’re two sides of the same coin.”

“And Zoom is my opposite, everything I’m not he is, honestly, he’s probably more deserving of the title Reverse than you are. If I can’t get faster soon it’s him who’s going to go down in history as having bested the Flash, you’re just a rumour.”

“Tachyons.” Thawne slammed his hands onto Iris’ knees. “Tachyons are the only way to get faster quickly without damaging your connection to the Speed Force. All my research is in my private workspace.”

“Thank you,” Iris said. “You going to let me go now?”

“Oh.” Thawne smiled and stepped back. He laughed. “I taught you well.”

“Maybe I learnt it from him,” Iris said. Thawne started vibrating his hand again. “If it makes you feel better, you’re right, what you did to my mother is not something I know how to heal from. Pretty sure I haven’t healed from him breaking my back either, that still hurts a lot.”

“I’m going to enjoy killing you one day, Flash.”

“Not today,” Iris said. “Where is your workspace?”

“Why would I tell you?”

“You want me to stop Zoom.”

“No, I think this you’ll have to work out yourself,” Thawne said. He unlocked Iris’ hands and sat back in his wheelchair. Iris followed him out the Time Vault. “Good luck reading it, it’s all in Interlac.”

“What’s Interlac?”

“Language of the future. Far more efficient than English. I think you should run, Flash. Because if you’re still here in five minutes I might kill you regardless of the consequences.”

“Particle accelerator then?” Iris asked.

Except her younger self was standing in front of the particle accelerator, suit on, flanked by Kendra and Hartley Rathaway.

“Oh, shit,” she said.

“Where’s Barry, Wells?” past Iris asked. Lightning flickered through her eyes and they glowed purple, Iris hadn’t known they did that.

“Iris,” Thawne said. “I can explain.”

He shot out the wheelchair and ran. This was wrong, this wasn’t how it had happened, Wells had been leaving the accelerator, he’d been with Bates, he’d-

Hartley still had his gauntlets raised, and Kendra’s wings were outstretched. Iris raised her hands.

“Okay,” she said. “Clearly I was unconscious longer than I thought. I know what this looks like.”

“All we want to know is where Barry is, Bates,” Kendra said.

“I’m not Bates,” Iris said. “I’m from the future.”

“That’s not how time travelled worked last time.”

“That was a day, I’m from a few months from now.”

“And you were with Wells even though you know he’s the Reverse Flash.”

“He’s also a speedster, and it was a speedster I needed. Kendra, please believe me.”

“We know Bates can’t replicate memories or powers,” Hartley said.

“But T- Wells has been stalking me for fifteen years, he knows a lot.” Iris vibrated her hands and let the lightning surround her. “Powers are better proof.”

“Okay,” Kendra said. “I believe you. If you’re from the future, you know where Barry is.”

“I do,” Iris said. “He’s-”

A screech came from the corridor and the Time Wraith flew in. Hartley aimed his gauntlets at it.

“What is that thing?” Kendra asked.

“Time Wraith,” Iris said. “It’s after me.”

“Well, I can’t hold it back forever,” Hartley said. “If you leave, it follows you.”

“Yes,” Iris said.

“Then go.”

“But Barry,” Kendra said. “Hartley found Wally but he didn’t know anything about where Barry is, he-”

“He’s fine,” Iris said. “I can’t, but I promise he’s fine.”

Kendra nodded and Iris started running. The Time Wraith was gaining on her.

Home. Home, home, home-

She skidded into the Cortex. Her Cortex, Cisco and Barry were there, and Jesse.

The Time Wraith had its hands around Iris’ throat. She couldn’t breathe, she was so cold-

And then it flew back off of her, and vaporised. Hartley and Cisco both lowered their hands.

“I told you that would work,” Hartley said. Cisco crossed his arms and turned away.

Barry helped Iris up.

“Are you okay?” he asked.

“Fine,” she said. “I’m fine. Thank you both.”

“Just glad I could help,” Hartley said. “You know how to find me if you need anything else.”

“We won’t,” Cisco said. Hartley nodded and left. Iris nodded at Barry.

“Hartley, wait!”

“Did you find what you needed?” Jesse asked.

“I don’t know,” Iris said. “I could use your help.”

* * *

The podium in the Time Vault had nothing. No trace of Gideon. There was no power, no way they could find to make power, Iris had known he’d never actually help her.

“I changed things,” she said.

“Hence the Time Wraith,” Cisco said.

“When I was running, I thought I could talk to Hartley and Caitlin earlier. Get them to rethink their plan. That maybe if I did that... I wouldn’t have been able to. Even if I hadn’t been knocked out the time stream then, the Speed Force wouldn’t have let me.”

“You ran me home.”

“And a Time Wraith chased me.”

“What happened before?”

“Thawne sent you home in his cab. Bates was the driver. I don’t know what they were planning, but they didn’t get far, Hartley stopped it, right after he rescued Wally. Thawne was distracted that day, I think by his time machine, he knew we were getting close. This time around he must have been distracted by me.”

“Barry called Hartley that day, not me.”

“You were with Thawne, and Hartley already knew the truth. He had his gloves. And Hartley did find Wally. He helped us with Grodd, he helped us find Barry, helped take down Thawne, he just helped with the Time Wraith, I know he hurt you and I’m not asking you to forgive that, but I think he was trying to do the right thing. Maybe I owe him a second chance.”

“Maybe,” Cisco sighed. “We wouldn’t have known Bates was working with Wells or that he was the one who took Barry without him.”

“I wanted to say where he was.”

“I know. I wish I’d known. Wish I’d noticed what was going on. Things could have been so different. But I can’t change the past, I just have to live with it. I guess you’re just like everyone else.”

“It was all a waste of time. He said his research is in Interlac so even if we knew where this workshop he was talking about is we couldn’t read it.”

“It’s a good thing you came back and the Speed Force didn’t let you find me early then,” Barry said from the doorway. “I know exactly where you need to go, and I know how to translate it.”


End file.
